Canada NAFTA Comments

On Monday, July 18 NAEGA and NGFA submitted joint comments to Global Affairs Canada regarding consultations on the renegotiation and modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAEGA and NGFA joint comments laid out five negotiating priorities, including:

• Maintaining all market access and tariff concessions.
• Creating a Rapid Response Mechanism.
• Enhancing science based SPS rules.
• Adopting risk management and risk assessment procedures that prevent the use of non-tariff barriers that lack scientific merit.
• Promoting regulatory consistency and cooperation provisions.
• Strengthening efforts to address TBT matters.
• Increasing transparency and cooperation on modern agricultural production technologies.
• Enabling the innovation of information technologies that improve logistics and regulatory implementation to facilitate trade.
• Ensuring safe, orderly and secure passage for rail and truck freight transportation with member countries.

In addition, the statement also calls on the Canadian government to preserve all current market access concessions and address ongoing market access challenges related to the dairy industry.

A copy of the comments can be found here.

USAEDC Attaché Conference

On July 12 and 13 Gary and Ryan attended the U.S. Agriculture Export Development Council’s (USAEDC) Attached Seminar in Arlington, VA. At the seminar Gary and Ryan discussed NAEGA and IGTC UES priorities and programming with USDA FAS attaché’s from the EU, Vietnam, Tokyo, Beijing, Kenya, Moscow and Tunisia.

In addition to meeting with USDA FAS attaché’s, Gary and Ryan joined the seminar plenary session where they learned more about the Trump Administration’s trade agenda from Ray Starling, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, Trade and Food Assistance, National

Economic Council and Jason Hafemeister, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USDA.

Please contact Gary and Ryan if you would like to learn more.